Upgrading obsolete standard - how to?

[nugab2]

Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster. I have just been assigned my first project within my company, our metrology group is around 50 personnel.

I've been asked to recommend an update/upgrade to our existing production PRT calibration standards, we currently use three Black Stack 1560's(with 2562 modules) at two locations. We calibrate a few hundred PRTs per year, each group has a few SPRTs and we use mettemp II software. There is a growing worry of obsolescence with this hardware.

I am not looking for recommendations per se but advice about mindset.

What questions should I be asking myself as I move forward? I know I need to at least match the specifications of the existing standards, and preferably exceed them (resolution/accuracy). Cost is not a huge concern at this phase as this is mostly exploratory.

I would like to do well, and waste as little time as possible, I thought I would ask this group for advice. What questions do you ask yourself as you move towards updating your standards? How can you tell how much life a hardware series has left?

Thank you for your time.

 

[indubioush]

What is PRT and SPRT?

 

[nugab2]

Thanks for the reply, I should have been more specific.

PRT - platinum resistance thermometer
SPRT - Standard Platinum Resistance Thermometer

PRT (or RTD, I use the two as synonyms perhaps that is incorrect) a temperature sensor. We use many types, by far the most common are 4-wire, class A, PT100, generally appearing as pictured below

SPRT the same form and function of a PRT, but a much higher accuracy and tolerance. As a standard it can be used to calibrate other PRTs.

While I appreciate the question and invite further inquiries, my question was more concerned with the thought process used to navigate the hardware landscape, and less about the details of particular hardware and instrumentation.

 

[dwperron]

That's a tough question.

The Black Stacks are an industry standard that have withstood the test of time, but they have been around for quite a while now (going on over 10 years).
I haven't heard of anything that is superior, and I have not heard of a replacement for this system. That seems to be true for almost everything in the Fluke temperature lineup - seems like it all dates back towards the Hart Scientific days. That would leave me wondering if Fluke is investing in the future of the temperature calibration line.

I would reach out to my local Fluke rep and ask him about the future of this device - do they have a replacement in the wings, what are their support plans for the calibrator and the software (is it Windows 11 compatible, for instance).